One of the consequences of over two decades of “tough on crime” legislation has been the steady increase in elderly residents in our nation’s jails and prisons. A 2015 Human Rights Watch report notes that the number of prisoners above the age of 55 has increased threefold in less than a decade, and that many of those men and women will remain incarcerated well into their 70s and 80s—if they leave prison at all. “U.S. prisons increasingly resemble high-security nursing homes,” Jamie Fellner says in the story.
National Geographic photographer Jessica Earnshaw has seen the graying of the prison system firsthand. In a photo essay, Earnshaw examines the lives of several aging men and women in correctional facilities in Maine. “I wanted to be a fly on the wall photographically and shadow my subjects throughout their day,” she says. “It turned out to be relatively easy because this aging population has missed so many of the major technological developments in media production and the way we experience news; they had no reservations or self-awareness about being photographed.”
What Earnshaw finds during her time in prison are men and women who are contrite about their past deeds, and who are somberly looking at the reality of spending their remaining years behind bars.
Norma, a 76-year-old resident of Maine Correctional Center in Portland, has served 14 years of a 70-year sentence, and has not had a single visitor during her incarceration. When Earnshaw visits her, Norma has just completed a “do not resuscitate” form, which brings with it an acute sense of mortality. “”I’ve got a death sentence,” says Norma. “I’ve got emphysema. I’ve gone through cancer in here, pneumonia all the time. I knew it anyway, but to hear it from somebody else, it really hit me last night; I cried and cried.”
The stresses and concerns that come with aging, when combined with the isolation and loneliness of prison, can be emotionally traumatic. After meeting with Earnshaw, Robert proclaimed the day to be the best of his life—followed by a very tough night of remembrance and regret.
A recent New York Times editorial calls for the end to incarcerating those who are of an advanced age and no longer pose a threat to the general population. “The numbers are rising despite recognition that continuing to lock up older prisoners not only does nothing to reduce crime, but is also expensive and inhumane,” the authors argue. “More and more aging people are becoming seriously ill and dying in prison. Prisons are not equipped to be nursing homes.”
For Christians, the call to “remember the prisoner” is particularly vital when men and women behind bars begin to approach their final years. Prison Fellowship volunteers provide those behind bars with encouragement, support, and love, sharing with them the promise of forgiveness and of the freedom that comes through Christ. To learn more about how you can share the love of Jesus with the incarcerated, visit www.prisonfellowship.org/action.